Three Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratories inaugurated at PIC

PESHAWAR: KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Thursday inaugurated three Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories at the Peshawar Institute of Cardiology (PIC) in Hayatabad.

Cabinet members Taimur Salim Jhagra, Ishtiaq Urmar and Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif were present on the occasion, said a handout. The labs have been set up at a cumulative cost of Rs 515 million.

With these labs, the total number of Cath labs in the PIC has increased to six which will resultantly double the daily capacity of the procedures of angiography and angioplasty in the institute.

The chief minister also inaugurated the Centralized Sterilization Services Department which has been set up at a cost of Rs 77 million. Addressing a ceremony on the occasion, the chief minister said health and education had been topmost priorities of the PTI government in the province since its inception.

He said that Sehat Card Plus Scheme was the most important initiative of the provincial government which has now been extended to the cent per cent population of the province. Mahmood Khan said that keeping in view the importance of the scheme, legislation was in progress to provide a legal cover to the scheme to run it on a permanent basis.

The chief minister lauded the PIC's performance and said the facility had made remarkable achievements in a very short span of time. He added that PIC was a state of the art healthcare facility in the province extending international standard treatment to cardiac patients.

It was a matter of pride for all of us that the PIC has become the first government hospital of Pakistan which has been certified by the International Standard Organization within the one and half years of its establishment, Mahmood Khan added.

He lauded the overall performance of PIC and said that the entire management of PIC deserved appreciation for their tireless efforts to make it a top-level healthcare institute not only in the province but in the country as well.

The chief minister on this occasion announced the fund of Rs 550 million for the PIC. Health Minister Taimur Salim Jhagra highlighted the performance of the Health Department with special focus on the reforms introduced by the KP government.

Briefing about the performance of the PIC, Chief Executive Officer Professor Dr Shahkar told the participants that over 43,000 cardiac patients were examined whereas over 8,000 procedures of angiography and angioplasty were made during the last 16 months. Over 1,500 cardiac surgeries including 307 for children were carried out during 16 months.

He said the PIC was the only government hospital which has got the approval of postgraduate courses within the first five months of its inception. Dr Shahkar said 95 per cent of patients have been treated free of cost through Sehat Card Plus Scheme.